PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Dear Journal Subscribers: Over a year ago in early 2019, we realized the Daily Journal was at a crossroads and one major event or disruption could change who we are forever. Well we have met the challenger and it is the 2020 COVID-19 World Pandemic.
The decision to close our economy and protect our country by our President and local leadership had to be made. However, this has, in our 150th year of publishing, changed the Daily Journal. We do not take lightly the duty to the citizens of Northeast Mississippi and our owner The CREATE Foundation. It is no secret that we like thousands of other newspapers in the United States have experienced a financial decline for a decade, but we are now facing unsustainable losses in a very short period of time. We have to make an immediate change.
Beginning the week of May 11th, 2020, the Daily Journal will become a 5-day print newspaper. We will cover the non-print days with our Digital Journal and continue to update stories as always 24/7 at www.djournal. com, which more than 20,000 of you a day currently read. We will print and deliver a paper copy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Obviously, our business is a major priority, but newspapers are more than just a business, we are a public trust vital to our democracy. Without community journalism the power shifts to the government from the governed. We must protect this balance. So, we tried to determine a way to maintain our 150-year legacy of watchdog journalism along with celebrating the hometowns and people we serve.
We believe we have a plan that will allow us to provide a robust reading experience for our thousands of subscribers and a sound business for our owner The CREATE Foundation. Since 1979 Journal, Inc. has made dividend and special payments to The CREATE Foundation of $14 million. We want to return to doing our part in supporting the mission of The CREATE Foundation.
To do that, we humbly ask all of our subscribers to embrace the 5-day print product and engage our digital newspaper experience. We must have your support of the print newspaper five days a week. By continuing your subscription and reading us online, you will help support community journalism and our local news staff for years to come.
Dedicated to the service of God and Mankind.
Humbly, William Bronson
CEO, Publisher
The decision to close our economy and protect our country by our President and local leadership had to be made. However, this has, in our 150th year of publishing, changed the Daily Journal. We do not take lightly the duty to the citizens of Northeast Mississippi and our owner The CREATE Foundation. It is no secret that we like thousands of other newspapers in the United States have experienced a financial decline for a decade, but we are now facing unsustainable losses in a very short period of time. We have to make an immediate change.
Beginning the week of May 11th, 2020, the Daily Journal will become a 5-day print newspaper. We will cover the non-print days with our Digital Journal and continue to update stories as always 24/7 at www.djournal. com, which more than 20,000 of you a day currently read. We will print and deliver a paper copy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Obviously, our business is a major priority, but newspapers are more than just a business, we are a public trust vital to our democracy. Without community journalism the power shifts to the government from the governed. We must protect this balance. So, we tried to determine a way to maintain our 150-year legacy of watchdog journalism along with celebrating the hometowns and people we serve.
We believe we have a plan that will allow us to provide a robust reading experience for our thousands of subscribers and a sound business for our owner The CREATE Foundation. Since 1979 Journal, Inc. has made dividend and special payments to The CREATE Foundation of $14 million. We want to return to doing our part in supporting the mission of The CREATE Foundation.
To do that, we humbly ask all of our subscribers to embrace the 5-day print product and engage our digital newspaper experience. We must have your support of the print newspaper five days a week. By continuing your subscription and reading us online, you will help support community journalism and our local news staff for years to come.
Dedicated to the service of God and Mankind.
Humbly, William Bronson
CEO, Publisher